- Username
- MitchW97
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Welcome to the community! I completely understand how hard is to not be able to do simple things without having a mental battle. It’s so, so hard and I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. When it comes to intrusive thoughts, let them flow. Nothing OCD says about you is true, so it won’t do any harm to not pay attention to them. Reacting to them makes them stay longer. If you don’t want to go on medication there are natural supplements available that you can try.
You’re welcome! I hate the fight or flight stress that goes with OCD! I’ve heard that curcumin, a component of turmeric, and ashwaghanda help with OCD. Here’s a website I found helpful. https://bebrainfit.com/natural-remedies-ocd/
Welcome! Slow progress is still progress! In general with ERP, it gets a little worse before it gets better. When you start effectively treating the thoughts, they basically try to fight to stay alive. The mental battle is real! But for awhile, it probably just has to feel that way. But you’ll gain more practice and it will become much more automatic as time goes on. Meds can help for some. I recommend doing your research first and not staying on them more than a year. Most studies done on them are relatively short term, so we know the short term effects but not the long (and long term is considered over a year.) You said you’re doing CBT, are you also doing mindfulness training? It’s great for helping to let those thoughts flow without constantly feeling the need to battle them.
Thanks for your responses guys!! Your advice is invaluable, it finally feels good to speak to other people with this stupid overthinking nightmare, because as I said previously, some people who try and understand it simply can’t ? Ill definitely do more research around supplements or meds so thank you for your advice! Meditation or mindfulness also seems great practice ?
You’re welcome. I’m glad to have been able to help. I agree it’s hard to make people who don’t have OCD truly understand what we go through every day.
Hi @mitchw97. I’m proud of you for getting the help you need and continuing to do the hard work of breaking through ocd. Here’s my perspective on medication: I have been on SSRI medication for thirteen years and it has saved my life. I also deal with severe depression, but the medication has enabled me to live a relatively normal life. Yes, I’ve gained about 15 pounds that won’t come off no matter what I do, but at least I’m alive; without the medication I become suicidal. Over the past 13 years I have tried to come off of medication and use supplements instead and these times have turned into nightmares where I become suicidal again. My body needs medication. But your body is yours, and your story is different. I would say that when you are considering medication, the question to ask yourself is: am I functional? Are you are able to go to work/school, be with friends, pay your rent, take showers and eat? If you can’t do those things, I suggest seeking guidance from your therapist and physician and get their recommendations on whether they think you should start medication. TL;DR: meds saved my life and I will never be able to get off them and that’s fine with me; if you’re functional in daily life, talk to your dr about the possibility of starting meds.
@catlady thanks for your reply! I am trying to let them flow, I’ve had many chats with my therapist about the whole fight or flight malarkey too, it’s just a bit difficult going from 100mph of gottadothisgottadothisgottadothis to meh ? Do you have any recommendations for natural supplements? I haven’t the foggiest idea where to start!
@puppychino thank you!! i’m glad they’ve worked for you, I have heard numerous stories about their effectiveness and I have had my doubts. I think I am rather quite functional, I hit a wall a few months ago where I think medication could have been the only thing that could have helped, but I started CBT and that has been really helpful, but as I said in the OP, I feel I’ve hit a bit of a wall. I’m referring to another therapist and I am going to start looking into other supplements, as a kind of progression to before I start thinking about medications ? Thank you for your help, I hope your own journey is full of joy and good fortune.
Hi everyone. I hope you’re all well. Thanks for the space in the community ?? I’ve been diagnosed with OCD in the past month. For the past 2 years, I’ve had obsessive thoughts related to religion, existentialism, health, numbers, and harm. I have mainly mental compulsions, and a few related to numbers. In the past week, the harm thoughts have got out of hand. I want to share the particular thoughts I’ve had recently, but I’m worried that these are not normal, or not OCD. I’m worried that I’m going act out on these, or that it’s actually want I want to do. I’m scared I’ll be judged. I didn’t want these thoughts, but I worry that it’s happened because of my past mistakes and negative emotions. They feel horrible. At the moment, the anxiety is there, but I feel more numb and depressed. I‘m doubting whether I’ve lost emotion or insight, as it’s becoming harder to rationalize. Before I share the thoughts in a separate post, I’d like to ask: 1. How bad, in terms of thought content, can OCD get? 2. Does anyone else question whether it’s something worse than OCD? 3. Is it normal to feel numb and low after feeling anxious, by OCD? 4. Does anyone take Escitalopram (Lexapro) for their OCD? Any help or conversation would be much appreciated
Last night I had the worst panic attack I have ever experienced and was having some very graphic intrusive thoughts. I am new to this OCD community as my therapist has thought I have had it for a while but confirmed today that that’s what I am probably struggling with. I am on some pretty intense medication related to my misdiagnosis’s and feeling lost about where to start. I wish I didn’t suffer from these thoughts and that I could live a “normal” life. How does one start living and not surviving ?
Hey everyone. This is my first post here and it’s probably going to be a long one because I guess I feel comfortable enough to be open here. I need help. When I first got diagnosed with OCD, I figured it only impacted a small part of my life. I thought I was only affected with compulsions and obsessions that dealt with contamination, tangible perfectionism and the obvious intrusive thoughts and that’s it. Well, I’ve come to realize that most of my thinking has been impacted by OCD. At this point the only way to describe how it feels to me is a forest of thorny vines growing in place of my mind or maybe through and around my brain constantly growing every-time I give into this type of thinking (which is basically all the time because I wasn’t aware this was OCD). I’ve definitely felt it more recently, but I know it’s always been there from what I recall from past memories. I got diagnosed not so long ago with OCD and I was happy to because it explained this thing I knew was wrong with me but I didn’t know how much it will and has impacted me in the past. So, I think I’ve created a matrix in my mind or strengthened the OCD thought patterns because now I feel like my OCD impacts everything I do. And I guess I’m saying I need help here because maybe you guys will be able to see it, maybe validate me and point me where I can get help. I’ve been telling the people around me, I think my thinking is disordered and I need help but I don’t think they really understand the amount it’s affecting me or grasp what I meant when I say “I Need Help”. I did have a therapist before but because of a insurance change, she can’t work with me anymore and I’m not sure when I’ll get another (just to clarify). Back to the matter, the past couple of months I’ve been in my head just thinking and thinking. About everything. To the point where my head starts to hurt or until I feel sick of thinking about it but I can’t. I find that’s my obsessions and compulsions (other than the need for order [which can also be mental]) are very mentally based and I find myself ashamed of them so I hide them so maybe that’s why the people around me don’t feel my need for getting help as much as I do. Anyways, examples of this have been, -constantly thinking about what’s the purpose of all of life and the hidden messages in life -feeling like if I don’t do everything perfectly then what the point or being very mad at myself -being obsessed with how I present to the rest of the world sometimes even in close relationships -having calculated movements and actions (having to move my body a certain way or it doesn’t feel right) -obsessing over an absolute truth -questioning friendships and other relationships - obsessing over achievements or failures -obsessing over people -obsessing over decisions and outcomes because I want to make the perfect decisions I could go on and on but basically it’s just a lot of thinking and ruminating and obsessing to the point where people tell me I look like I’m some where else all the time. And I’ve started to feel like I find comfort in it now. I’m also diagnosed with depression and anxiety and I feel like it’s all just OCD. And same goes for my dissociation. I feel like they all root from my OCD. I’m so tired of feeling like this all the time and without my therapist I feel like I’m stuck here. I can’t make decisions, I’m never present, I can’t make or keep friendships/ relationships, everything impacts me deeply because I create a emotional obsession to it, I can’t just be without questioning everything and I’m constantly in my head. I’ve also started getting high all the time because I feel like it’s the only way to escape my brain but I’ve felt like it’s getting out of hand. I’m starting to lose in any type of hope of getting better. Does anyone have an advice for working on OCD by yourself or identifying when it’s OCD (especially mental obsessions and compulsions) so I can start to chip at this boulder that’s weighing down my life and energy?
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